Crib or bed cover



R. B. SMITH.

CRIB 0R BED Cm/ ER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1. 1921.

Patented Aug. 15, 19-22.

2 SHEETS-:SHEET lfibberfliziclzmSmdYu/Q' ATTORNEY R. R. SMITH.

CRIB 0R BED COVER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 7. 1921.

Patented Aug. 15,, 22,-

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2':

ATTORNEY v it .e

5s}?ENTTY v F CE- v 1 ROBERT RITcHIE sM'Itr-H, OF CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA;

CRIB 0R BE cOVER,

Specification of Letters Patent ,Pate t d 15;

Application filed Sep'tmb'er'Y, 1921 Serial N6. 499,009.

a new and useful Crib or Bed Cover, of

Which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to crib or bed covers and its object is to provide a cover or blanket for application to a'crib or bed,'whereby aninfant or young child may be amply protected, While in the crib, against exposure due to kicking or other movements resultingin dislodging the cover to an extentto expose the childto' theef- "fects of air or draughts, especially in cold i'veather,- and" which cover or blanket may alsobe used for adult inval-ids where exposure to air would be" detrimental;

In accordance with the invention, the cover is formed of su'itable'sheets of mate i -ial's such a's is customarily used-for the purpose.

Stretched rubloer" or elastic 1 strips are included betWeen-the-sheets, running one lw'a y' of" the cover sothat; when the child "or other personis under the' cover and the "latter ismade fast to fixed portions of-the bed, the per-sort ii restless, cannot kick off "or otherwise disturbthe-cover toan extent 'in'-- one direction throughout substantially its; entire area to maintainclose contact *With; the child u or other "per-*souat all times. I The invention Will be best understood toexpose' the child; the cover'being" elastic from Y consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the'accomp'anying drawings forming a part showing of "the drawings; but mayhe v3hmigd modified 'so lon u changes and modifications constitute no Ina- 'tei ial departure from the salie t featu of theinveintion as ed claims.

111 the drawings r Fig. '1 is a 'plan View, more or less diagramatically illustrating an initial step in the manufacture of the cover or' blanket.

' Fig; l 'is a plan View of a rubber strip such as: is incorporated inthe cover.

' Fig. 2' is a section on the; line 2"2 of expressed'in the appendigQ-l but draWnon-a larger scale.

I expedienc may dictate. of 'this sp cification', With the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the the manufacture of the cover or blanketi' Flgl 4 1s a cross-section similar to that of; Fig. 2 but related to' the showing of F 1g. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan View, showing the cover fiirther'progressed than in F igs; 1 and; 3,

and With certain played;

Flgs. 6, 7 and 8'are enlarged cross-sectional views of additionalsteps in the manufacture of the cover. I.

' F1g. -9 is'a* plan View illustratingthe fifnal appearance of the completed cover;

Fig. l0 is-a cross-section, more or lessdia portionsseparated or disgrammatic'ally show-1i, of" the" cover applied rea'dy'to a bed orcribtoreceive the child.

g ll viewisiniilarto Fig. 10 but showing; the cover or blanket stretched in opposition tattle-tendency of the rubber stri s-as it would" appear when covering: a "Child or other erson in the crib or bed.

Referring more'particularly to F ig; ,1

' there are shoWI'i two sheets, 1 I and 2, of" cloth of such weave and c'olhr as the designer or manufacturer of the cover m ychooseg For cenv-en'ienee of handling, the fabric sheets l and 2am made of appropriate size t1) 7 permit considerable stretching and contract-1011" in; the coveringarea' of the sh ets,

due to1t-heman ner o'fmanu'facture. "While,

in newise limiting the" invention to any pjarticu'larysize, it has: been found in practice.

' t-hat theiully spread or stretched sheets lfla y approximate fortyeight inches in one directlOIl' by eighty inches in the other direecien,

but these-dimensions'may be departedrrem I Combined with nd located sheets 1 and 2 are rubber strips 3, which'm'ay "be init'ally about fortyiinches longg'and about 'three'incheswide and of appropriate thiclibetween the V mess; but when these stri s are stretched,

their 'length i's increased to about eighty inches andith'eir idth is reduce'ol to about two in'ches'fhi' ordinary crib size, although these particular figures are'not atjall ohligater y and may be incr ased for bed size.

Theshee'ts 1i andZar'e each, formed, in the direction of the length: of the she t; into the stitching- 6. The tucks; are so spaced as the rubbe -strips 3; after which othegrows the sheets 1 and 2 and the rubber strips 3,

5 on each side of the tucks and at or near the side edges of the rubber strips.

When the cover or blanket is initially formed the tucks l are present and the rub ber strips 3 are stretched lengthwise and secured in place between the tucks of the sheets .1 and 2 by the rows 7 of thestitching, one strip between each pairof tucks, saio sheets 1 and 2 being held by suitable 'rames, not shown. The rubber strips 3 are stretched to the full length of the associated sheets, the rubber strips being stretched so that they are extended in length and reduced in width,

as before stated, and are united at their long edges to the sheets 1 and 2 by the stitching 7. Now, while the sheets 1 and 2 are in a spread condition on the frame or other device, (not shown), for holding the'sheets, and the rubber strips are in the stretched condition, the stitching 6 is removed from the tucks to release them, and the stitching 7 is produced through the edges of the rubber strips uniting the sheets 1 and 2, whereupon the rubberstrips, together with the sheets 1 and 2, are more or lessdrawn together or shirred, for the width of the cover or blanket is reduced by the contraction of the previously stretched rubber strips, giving an appearance similar to the showing at 8 in Figures 8and 9.

f The cover is then finished by the application of marginal ruffles 9 or the like, while the cover is in thenon-stretched or contracted condition, and also by the application on oppositeside edges of the cover,

of tabs 10 designed to be fastened about the corner posts or. other parts of a crib or bed.

"Furthermore, other tabs 11, which maybe located midway of the cover, are provided for the purpose of enclosing the child in the blanket, which latter is thus fastened about the child when it is desired to carry said child in the cover or blanket from one point to another.

In Figs. 9, 10 and 11 the cover is shown as a whole at 12. Fig. 9 shows the blanket contracted or Shirred by the contraction of the rubber strips. Fig. 10 showsthe blanket "fast to the crib or other piece of furniture, by which the child is supposed to be sup- "ported. Fig. 11 shows the extent to which the blanket 12 may be stretched by the give of the rubber strips and because of kicking of the child without uncovering the child.

That is claimed is v 1. A'cover or blanket comprising facing and backingsheets of fabric with spaced, elastic strips locatedbetween the sheets and secured to the fabric, with the sheets shirred where secured to and by the elastic strips 5 to permit extension of thecover or blanket .crib ,or bed, said coveror blanket also be- .to hold the cover or blanket substantially non-extensible in a direction at right angles to the first named direction, said cover or blanket also having means along oppositeedges for fastening the cover or blanket to the sides of the crib or bed.

3. A cover or blanket comprising two sheets of fabric face to face and having substantiallv parallel spaced elastic strips confined between them and also made fast to the fabric, with the sheets shirred and pro- -v1ded with tabs secured at intervals along opposite sides of the blanketfor fastening said cover or blanket to the sides of they ing provided with marginal rufliesexterior to the tabs and capable of participating in the extension movements ofthe cover or blanket. a. A cover or blanket comprising facing and backing sheets of substantially non-extensible materialwith interposed strips of rubber located between the sheets in spaced relation to each other and secured along their. edges to the sheets, with the latter shirred where so secured to permit the stretching of the rubber strips and the eX-- tension of the fabric sheets inone direction, said cover or blanket being substantially non-extensible in a direction at right angles to the first named direction, and

means for securing the blanket to a crib or bed,whereby a childfor other person may have room for movement without danger :Of becoming uncovered.

V 5. A cover or blanket comprising sheets of fabric with substantially parallel elastic strips located between and secured at the edges to the fabric withthe strips initially stretched and then released to shir ,the goinedsheets of fabric, finishing edge strips .in the form of ruffles and capable of being stretched in:the same direction as the .elastic strips, and tabs at the marginal side; portions of the cover or blanket for fastening the latter to the sides of the piece of furniture and constituting holding means for the cover or blanket.

material stretched lengthwise, stitching the by to produce uniform shirring of saidmaterial.

7. The method of forming extensible and contractible covers or blankets consisting in providing like sheets of fabric, forming said sheets with temporary, spaced, parallel tucks, the tucks of one sheet matching those of the other, holding the sheets in tautcondition lengthwise of the tucks, introducing strips of elastic. material between the sheets with the elastic material stretched lengthwise, stitching the strips of elastic material and the sheets of fabric together on opposite sides of the tucks and then removing the stitching forming the tucks and releasing the stretch of the elastic material to permit said elastic material to contract the length of the sheetswhere joined by the elastic material, whereby to produce uniform shirring of said material, and then completing the cover or blanket by adding non-extensible ruflies crosswise of the blanket along the edges of the latter after the release of the elastic bands, with the edges of the blanket participating in the shirring action of the body of the blanket. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, ture. 7

ROBERT RITCHIE SMITH.

I have hereto afiixed my signa- 

